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When a photo of the advertisement for the $3,360 ( £2,000) rifle was published in major Italian newspapers and websites, it provoked an immediate furore.

Cristina Acidini, Florence superintendent for history and fine arts, condemned the company’s use of the image and also urged ArmaLite to immediately withdraw it.

“To use a work of art from any of the Florence museums for promotional purposes, it is necessary to obtain an evaluation of how the image may be used,” Miss Acidini said. “No-one ever agreed to that.”

Italy claims copyright over any images of David, the 17-foot marble sculpture of the male nude which represents the biblical hero.

Another advertisement produced by ArmaLite

Unveiled by Michelangelo in Florence in 1504, it has been housed in the city’s Accademia Gallery since 1873 and draws millions of tourists from around the world.

Angelo Tartuferi, director of the Accademia, said: “The law says that the aesthetic value of the work cannot be distorted.

“In this case, we find an act which is not only in bad taste but also completely illegal. The American company never asked us.”

But writer and critic Luca Nanniperi said it was not the first time one of Italy’s iconic art works had been used for publicity, noting the beverage company Ferrarelle had used images of the Mona Lisa while weight loss company SlimFast had used images of Venus by Renaissance painter Botticelli.

“Is the widespread indignation justified?” he wrote in the daily Il Giornale.